Border Guard Martyred in Clash With Armed Bandits
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- An Iranian border guard was martyred in a fight with armed bandits near the western border with Iraq, local media reported on Monday.
Iran’s armed forces have been stepping up their presence along its borders to prevent smuggling and terrorist infiltration.
"Last night around 9 p.m., the border guards who were trying to stop armed smugglers entering the country had a fight with armed bandits,” Tasnim news agency quoted Kiumars Sheikhi, commander of the border guards in Kermanshah province as saying.
He said a member of the Baneh county border patrol had been martyred in the fight.
Sheikhi said members of the armed group were planning a sabotage operation in Iran, but did not give details or say whether they were connected to terrorist groups.
In July, terrorists martyred 10 members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in an attack on a post on the Iraqi border.
A terrorist linked to an Al-Qaeda-linked group martyred 27 IRGC members last month in a southeastern region.
On Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying that Turkey and Iran had carried out a joint operation against militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
"We started carrying out an operation with Iran against the PKK on our eastern border this morning (and) will announce the result,” news agency Anadolu quoted Solyu as saying. State broadcaster TRT Haber also cited him commenting on the operation.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, however, dismissed the report, saying Iranian troops were not involved in the operation.
"The Turkish army carried out an operation on its eastern border against the PKK group this morning. But the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not involved in the operation,” an informed sourced at the General Staff told Fars news agency.
"At the same time, the source said that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will strongly deal with any group seeking to create insecurity in our country,” Fars added.
Iran’s armed forces have been stepping up their presence along its borders to prevent smuggling and terrorist infiltration.
"Last night around 9 p.m., the border guards who were trying to stop armed smugglers entering the country had a fight with armed bandits,” Tasnim news agency quoted Kiumars Sheikhi, commander of the border guards in Kermanshah province as saying.
He said a member of the Baneh county border patrol had been martyred in the fight.
Sheikhi said members of the armed group were planning a sabotage operation in Iran, but did not give details or say whether they were connected to terrorist groups.
In July, terrorists martyred 10 members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in an attack on a post on the Iraqi border.
A terrorist linked to an Al-Qaeda-linked group martyred 27 IRGC members last month in a southeastern region.
On Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying that Turkey and Iran had carried out a joint operation against militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
"We started carrying out an operation with Iran against the PKK on our eastern border this morning (and) will announce the result,” news agency Anadolu quoted Solyu as saying. State broadcaster TRT Haber also cited him commenting on the operation.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, however, dismissed the report, saying Iranian troops were not involved in the operation.
"The Turkish army carried out an operation on its eastern border against the PKK group this morning. But the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not involved in the operation,” an informed sourced at the General Staff told Fars news agency.
"At the same time, the source said that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will strongly deal with any group seeking to create insecurity in our country,” Fars added.